Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Thanks,” Grayson said. “We appreciate you.”
“My pleasure. Besides, I’m heading over there anyway.” Luther took the bags from Reid and turned toward the street where his truck was double parked. People honked, among other things, but no one really cared. It wasn’t like the truck was going to stay there for long.
“Why are you heading toward Sydney’s?” Reid asked. Grayson set the other bags in the back of the truck and opened the door for Reid, holding her hand as she climbed in.
“Well,” Luther said when he got behind the steering wheel, “Sydney invited me to spend the night. At first, I told her no because I thought it would be awkward, but she persuaded me and said after everything we’ve been through as a family this year, she didn’t want to see me left alone when they had the extra room. I still balked, but then she said things would be different when you two have children and neither one of us wants to miss out on important moments. So, I gave in.”
“Thank you,” Reid said as she kissed him on his cheek. Luther smiled but quickly turned so Reid couldn’t gush more. She then looked at Grayson. “Your mom is amazing.”
“I know. She raised me.” He winked and thought about kissing her, but with her dad right there, he kept his lips to himself. And then he began to wonder about the sleeping situation. Even though he and Reid lived together, that didn’t mean all the parents were on board with them sleeping in the same room. He glanced at Luther, who kept his eyes focused on the road. Reid eyed Grayson suspiciously, and he shook his head. With her dad sitting next to them, he couldn’t exactly tell her he wanted to have sex with her in his childhood bedroom. Grayson would brood about it later. No point in thinking the worst until they got to his mom’s house. The rest of the drive, he held on tightly to Reid’s hand, almost as if he wouldn’t be able to touch her again until they returned to their apartment. If that was the case, they were definitely sneaking out later.
TWENTY
NADIA
When it was time to decorate for Christmas, Kiran had recruited the neighbors to help. He had even offered to help them decorate if need be. This time, Nadia was prepared and turned it into an event of sorts. In exchange for their help, Nadia served lunch, as well as hot cocoa, some alcoholic drinks, and snacks. She played holiday music, started a fire in the fireplace (even though she wasn’t used to doing so), and put on a Santa hat, despite lacking any spirit.
Every day she woke up, she tried. She tried to live the way she and Rafe had or the way she thought he would want her to. Mostly because of the girls. She greeted them with a soft smile and tried to act as if everything had been the same. She showered them with love, even though she felt wholly unloved herself, despite the fact she knew the girls loved her. While a child’s love was unconditional—it was dependent and naive and came with a feeling of wanting protection from the world—the love from a partner was different. It was all consuming, it was breathtaking, it was butterflies in the middle of the night and morning and a rush of excitement when you received a simple text message or an “I love you.” That was how she’d felt with Rafe, and now . . . well, now she felt like she had nothing. The holidays only exacerbated those feelings.
Holiday cards arrived at the house, addressed to her only. The first time one arrived, she’d cried for hours. Rafe had been erased from everyone’s mind. Gone and forgotten. She yearned to see his name next to hers, just one more time. And when that card arrived, from someone who hadn’t heard of Rafe’s passing, she’d spent the day crying. Nadia couldn’t win.
Nadia had zero desire to celebrate the holidays, and if it wasn’t for Hazel and Kiran, she probably would’ve forgotten to shop. Her standby excuse was “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Halloween had been simple. Seeing the girls dress up with Kiran was fun and entertaining. But now, the pain from losing Rafe felt like a ton of bricks on her chest, and she couldn’t seem to move them. No matter what she did.
Hazel refused to let Nadia dwell or sit in a puddle of sorrow. She insisted they shop on the weekends, employing her younger sister to watch the girls. She’d drive Nadia to the mall, make lists of things the girls had mentioned when she picked them up after school, and force Nadia to be present. “It’s for the girls, not you,” Hazel told her repeatedly.